The present invention relates to work transport apparatus and work transport method, and more specifically to work transport apparatus and method using a self-propelled vehicle.
A published Japanese patent application publication No. H09(1997)-201737 shows a work transport system for conveying a work with a self-propelled vehicle running along a guide lane on a floor in a factory. In this system, a work is loaded on a wheeled carriage at a production line, and transported with the carriage pulled by the self-propelled vehicle to a storage location automatically without the intervention of human operation. At the storage location, the carriage is disconnected from the self-propelled vehicle, and taken out of the guide lane to a work unloading position at which the work is unloaded from the carriage. The empty carriage is returned to the guide lane by manual operation or by another self-propelled vehicle.